The Magnificent World
by Cabriel
Summary: It a place that dwells in the memory of those who still dream of its ancient glory. A world revered for its beauty, mystery and danger. On a planet of endless adventure. Such a land is known as El Hazard.
1. Journey to a world of wonder

The Magnificent World

_It a place that dwells in the memory of those who still dream of its ancient glory. A world revered for its beauty, mystery and danger. On a planet of endless adventure. Such a land isknown asEl Hazard. If your spirithas wings to travel, even cross the breath of a thousand, million nights, imagination will guide the way. And the gates of El Hazard will always be open to you._

Chapter I: Journey into the World of Wonder

Ron Stoppable sighed as he wore his blue suit to school. Today was picture day and everyone wanted to be at their best though he found it futile to even bother.

Ron was unlikely to be remembered by anyone. He was always deemed the _loser_. Friends were rare and all he had, ultimately, was himself.

No, that's not true. He had a friend who regarded him like a brother.

"Hey, Tara," Ron said as he saw her as she waited at the bus station. Tara, a blond haired teen, wore her favorite Japanese school uniform to school. Ron like it too though he thought that the skirt was too short.

"Hiya, Ron," she said cheerfully. "You look respectable in that suit," she added with a bright smile.

"Thanks. I..." Ron stopped himself as the words sank in. "What did that mean?" Tara giggled.

"Oh, Ron. Stop being paranoid. I was merely complementing you on your suit. You look like a different person today," she said much to Ron's relief and embarrassment.

"Thanks Tara," he smiled as he brushed his blond hair back. "You know, I never thought that picture day was such a big event."

"To most people, Ron, it is a day to truly be one's self without being criticized," Tara said. "To others, it is a time to... show off."

"Yeah," Ron sighed. Who was he kidding? Even in the suit no one would notice him. He was always picked on and stepped over. The story of his life.

It was a quite bus ride towards school. There was nothing else to say. Lately, Ron felt incomplete for some reason. It was like he was not living the life that destiny had in store for him. But Ron figured that he would wait for that time to come. Though realistically, he's not getting his hopes up.

As they arrived at school, there was a commotion by the main entrance. There were news vans parked up front and the students were scattered around, trying to find out what was happening.

Ron and Tara exited the bus and went to the crowd, wondering what was up.

Ron asked the first kid he saw who just shrugged and explained.

"The earthquake last night unearthed a ruin of an unknown origin. The archeology club and the fantasy club are speculating. I heard that it predates civilized man." Ron nodded, getting only a gist of what the kid said.

"There was an earthquake last night?" Ron asked as he and Tara entered the school.

"I don't believe you," she sighed as she looked at him pitifully. "You could sleep through anything. It only had a magnitude of five," she said as she saw the reporters "I wonder what is so interesting."

"Listen up people!" Ron cringed as he heard that voice. "This is not a show where everyone can watch! Everyone to their room or you'll be doing detention for a week!" Upon hearing the D word, the students dispersed and went to their respective rooms, clearing the way leaving Ron and Tara in the open. Ron quickly dragged Tara towards their own classroom before...

"Stoppable! King!" Ron and Tara stopped in their tracks and turned. Ron repressed a sigh when Mr. Barkin, the vice-principal and former Marine loomed over them. Much to Ron's dismal years in high school, William Barkin retained his Marine bossiness and attitude. But Ron wouldn't admit it but the man had helped him in more ways than one. Secretly, Barkin had great hopes for the boy. If he would only come out of his shell...

"We were just on our way to class, Mr. B," Ron said, swallowing at the glare the man gave him.

"At ease," Mr. Barkin gave a command. "I'm assigning you two to help me with damage assessment."

"You mean we're in an unsafe building?" Ron's eyes were wide with worry.

"Don't be ridiculous, Stoppable. As far as I know the school's safe. It's the site that's bothering me."

"The site?" Ron asked.

"The archeological site that our school seems to have gained," Tara said in a rare sagely manner.

"Oh, come on, Mr. B," Ron was about to protest when he noticed the man's glare. Swallowing, Ron smiled and smirked. "Maybe I could find time."

"That's the spirit, Stoppable," Barkin slapped him on the back of his shoulder soundly, making Ron groan. "Meet me at the ruins at sixteen hundred hours," with that, Mr. Barkin left.

"Say what?" Ron looked confused.

"I believe, the Mr. Barkin meant four o' clock," Tara said as she smiled at him. Ron looked at her in confusion. How did she know that? "Army Brat, remember," she shrugged her shoulder.

"Then why can't he just say it?" Ron complained. "He went all military again." Tara simply giggled and took Ron's arm.

"Come now, Ronnie. We will be late for class." Sighing, Ron shook his head and followed her.

>>>>>>>>>

Fukishima Jinai vowed vengeance.

Ron Stoppable had been a thorn in his side as long as he could remember. And what happened in the past week just took the cake.

Ron accidentally found out that Fukishima was stealing from the school funds and had him suspended pending an inquiry.

Fukishima had hated the one he considers his arch nemesis, for he has ruin his plans in ruling the school.

But that would change. Fukishima needed to put Ron out of the picture.

>>>>>>>>>>>

"This is boring," Ron said as he cleaned up one of the rooms adjacent to the ruins. The earthquake knocked out some displays and equipment that they were trying to straighten up.

"Think of it as a challenge, Ron," Yori smiled at she replaced the supplies in the cabinet.

"I think I've been challenged enough," groaned Ron.

"Good work people," Mr. Barkin suddenly walked into the room with a smile on his face. "That's enough for today. Stoppable, get that cleaning equipment back to the janitor's cabinet and join me in my office for some snacks."

"Boo-yah! Snackage!" Ron cheered as he picked up the cleaning equipment.

"I thing I'll make some juice," Tara smiled at Mr. Barkin and went out of the room.

"Nice kid," Mr. Barkin smirked and nodded to Ron. "Don't be late, Stoppable."

"For Snackage? Never!" Mr. Barkin chuckled as he left the room. Ron smiled as he watched his teacher check the halls for stray students. Ron gathered the equipment and left.

For some reason, the school felt dead to Ron. Perhaps it was the quiet surroundings or the darkness of the halls. Or perhaps it was the feeling that he was being watched.

Ron sighed as he continued his way towards the janitor's cabinet knowing pretty well what was going to happen next.

As he opened the door to the cabinet, Ron immediately ducked down as if to pick something up. At the same time, a fist sailed to where his head used to be.

"Hey Fukishima," Ron said as he placed the equipment in the cabinet and slammed the door on Fukishima's bewildered face, causing the teen to tumble back and crash through the equipment inside. Ron locked the door and walked away.

Ever since Ron told the committee about Fukishima's acts, the teen was trying to get at him in every way. But this time Ron didn't realize that Fukishima had snapped.

"Outsider!" the door to the janitor's cabinet suddenly blown open, revealing a ticked off Fukishima wielding a broken broom handle.

"Oh, crap," Ron said and immediately ran away.

>>>>>>>

"Where is that boy?" Mr. Barkin growled as he waited for Ron. Tara was preparing juice for them to enjoy. She had also brought some cakes that she had baked.

"He will be here shortly Mr. Barkin," Tara said as she stirred the pitcher containing the juice. "I'm sure he is just taking a calming stroll."

>>>>>>>

Ron was far from calm. He was running for his life! He never knew that Fukishima could run so fast.

"Why are you chasing me!" Ron called out as he dodged one of the teen's attacks.

"Is it not obvious? I am going to remove you from my life. Permanently!" Ron dodged another attack.

"You're insane!" Ron said, tipping a garbage can over to buy him some time. "You shouldn't have plundered the school's funds!"

"I was going to use that for my plan to conquer the world!" Fukishima said, avoiding the tipped trashcan. "And this goes beyond that unfortunate incident. Two weeks ago in Cheese Pizza day, you ate all the pizza before I got there!"

"Dude, that was one slice," Ron frowned. "It's not my fault I got to the last slice first."

"Lies!" Fukishima said. "You waited for the exact moment for me to be in line so that you could deprive me of that pizza!"

"You're demented!" Ron cried out. Fukishima suddenly threw the broken broom handle at Ron's feet, causing him to topple oven and fall. Ron skid face first to the ground. Groaning, the turned over and saw Fukishima brandishing a fire extinguisher he must have gotten nearby.

"Farewell, my foe," Fukishima was about to strike when suddenly, a blue flash engulfed them.

Ron closed his eyes to the impending strike. He did not see the blue light that engulfed them. Slowly, he opened his eyes, surprised to see that Fukishima was just standing there, poised to attack.

"What the..." Ron said as he picked up the broom handle and stood up. "Fukishima? What happened? Hello?" but there was no response. In an impromptu experiment, Ron whacked Fukishima on the head with the broom handle but it broke in the force.

"That's odd," Ron said, smirking. He just shook his head and left Fukishima just standing there.

The wind touched him but there was something odd about it. One; nothing seemed affected by the wind, not the scattered paper, nor the dust. And two; for some reason, it felt like someone caressed him, in an affectionate manner.

"That was weird," Ron said finding himself walking towards the ruins. Whenever he would deviate from the path, the wind somehow directed him back towards the way to the ruins. It was like something was guiding him with a gentle hand. Being a curious teen, Ron didn't find anything wrong with the situation. It's just that even though it was weird, he wanted to find out what was going on. It was like an adventure for him and he rarely had those.

As Ron reached the ruins, he paused. Was it really wise to enter the unknown? Throwing caution to the wind, which he usually does, Ron entered the ruins. And when he did, he beheld sight never he had imagined in his wildest dreams.

The walls, floor and ceiling had colorful hieroglyphics. The floor had the carving of an eye in the center. But what he saw on the far wall took his breath away.

There was an octagonal pillar with the same hieroglyphics as with the wall but something happened when he walked into the center of the room.

The whole room lit up. Pillars of light came from the floor, touching him. And, if his imagination wasn't playing tricks with him, caressed him. Then, it began to fog.

Ron was surprised. His heart was racing in anticipation. Something was about to happen. He knew it but didn't know what.

The pillar started to move. The top section moved, stopping when a glyph on an eye was seen. It was like the eye was looking at him.

And then it happened.

The pillar made the unmistaken sound of unlocking. Air hissed out like one of the cryogenic chambers of sci-fi movies he always watched. And he knew what would happen next.

The pillar opened. At first, Ron could not see what was inside with all the smoke and darkness. But when the smoke cleared, he was shocked and awed.

In the pillar was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Hair like fire, skin pale as milk, and must be as smooth. She wore a veil of gossamer held by a red headband that covered the back of her long hair. Her coat was nothing he had ever seen before. It was a mix of past and something he could not define. There was a pair of tails that flowed from the end of the sides of her coat. Her undershirt was torn, revealing a set of cleavage that made Ron blush. She wore a set of gloves that went past her elbows and had a piece of cloth, the same material as her veil, attached to her wrists, flowing from where it fell. She was wearing a material that resembled spandex that covered her lower body but was ripped at the ankles. Her smooth feet were bare.

She looked like a sleeping doll.

She opened her eyes and when she did Ron saw her soul. And she was crying.

Through the green orbs of her eyes and the serene face, he knew that she would not harm him. And when she smiled, all fear left him.

"Ronald, at long last we meet," the woman said in a joyous and serene voice. Ron was stunned. Why would any woman want him? She then tentatively walked towards him, her strength seemed to be driven by her desire to be with him. And when she was near him, all her strength seemed to leave her.

Ron caught her as she almost tumbled down. To him, she was relishing his touch as her head rested on his shoulder. She was almost as tall as he was but he let her stay that way.

Her hands encircled him, wishing that they would stay that way forever.

"I have waited so long for you. I have been patient these past ten millennia. This moment has finally arrived after ten thousand of years," she said with something Ron did not expect. Love.

"Ah... excuse me? What's your name?" he asked sheepishly.

"You mean you've forgotten?" she said, hurt at what he had asked. "Through the endless nights I've been dreaming of you. You my dear Ron," she sighed as she embraced him tightly. Then with a sigh of reluctance, she let go.

"Time's grow short. We cannot delay now. My powers have weakened through the passage of years," she said much to Ron's confusion. Who was this woman? And how did she know his name? What powers? There were so many questions he wanted to ask her.

"Hey..." he felt her pull away

"You must prepare to embark on your journey," she stood in front of him, urgency was in her features. Confusion was in Ron's. "With my remaining strength I shall send you to El-Hazard."

"What's El-Hazard?" Ron asked, still a bit shocked at all that has happened. But suddenly, to his surprise, she _floated_ away. Ron gasped. Since when did people float?

She then folded her hands to pray and mumbled.

"Wait!" Ron cried out. "Tell me what's going on!" The room began to crackle with energy. This time, Ron was beginning to get scared.

"I know that I could rely upon you, Ron," the woman smiled as she looked at him. "I will carry you in my thoughts and heart until our paths cross again." Then the whole room erupted in a bright flash of light.

Ron closed his eyes while everything was covered in white light. Suddenly, he had these images of people and placed he never saw before flashed into his mind. And opening his eyes, he saw the woman's serene smile and everything went white.

(End of 1)


	2. Florestica

A/n: Chapter One had been changed due to a character miscast. Thanks again.

Chapter II: Florestica

The white light faded as soon as it had appeared. Ron's eyes slowly adjusted to his surroundings. As soon as he did, he blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

He was standing in the middle of a thick forest. A forest he had never seen before. He knew from what he had studied in geography, for the few minutes he had stayed away, that trees had generally green leaves. But there were a number of foliages that had blue leaves. The trees were also different. It was like he was in a different world.

And for one second, he believed he was.

"Now don't be stupid, Ron. There must be an explanation," he said to himself, trying to calm his rational mind. Though why should he just found out that he had such a mind was a mystery to him. Where was this rationality when he needed it the most? Like in school?

"Where the hell am I?" Ron asked softly, not really expecting an answer. Taking a deep breath, he walked. This was way too weird for him. First he saw a beautiful lady in the ruins under the school then he found himself in a place he had never seen before. Ron wished it were just a teleporter accident, like when school genius Justine Flanner accidentally sent Ron to the next room. Unfortunately, it was the girl's bathroom.

But this time, there were no screaming ladies running towards him. Strange that he could swore he heard a woman screaming just now.

Ron stopped and listened. A scream of terror echoed through the forest. He realized that it was not his imagination. Someone needed help! All irrelevant thoughts fled his mind. He needed to find the source of the scream and help the unfortunate soul

But if he did find the source, who would save _his_ unfortunate soul?

Ron ran, trying to pinpoint the location. All the while trying to figure out where his courage had come from. He didn't have time to ponder it further when a figure came from behind the bushes, running towards him.

It was a woman!

And what a woman. Her hair was red, held back by a beautifully made headband that had a gossamer veil flowing, covering the back of the woman's head. She wore a halter-top that hugged the top of her body but left her midriff bare. It covered little but it covered half of her neck and had a jewel on her throat. Her pants were something from and Arabian dream. Though her pants were loose, they were silk and Ron could see what she was wearing beneath the pants. But when he saw her face, he faltered. Surely this was a beautiful lady. But somehow, she looked familiar. She must be at least in the early twenties but her face was etched in fear.

"Help me, kind sir," she said as she reached him. Suddenly shy, Ron stammered.

"Well…. Sure… but… what… how…" a loud growl snapped him out of his reverie. Looking behind her, what he saw weirded him out. Two monsters were approaching them. One seemed like a snake with a cat's head and the other was a bear with raptor like hands and legs. Ron's lips twitched and without another word, pulled that lady into a run.

The lady didn't protest but she was tired. She had been chased for God knows how long and her legs began to buckle. Ron noticed this and stopped.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he looked at her then to the approaching monsters.

"I can't run anymore," the woman fell to her knees as the monsters came closer. Ron pulled her up and pulled her behind the trees, but something made the woman trip and Ron barely had a chance to catch her.

"What happened?" Ron asked in concern.

"I think I stepped on something," she said. That something groaned and got up, much to Ron's surprise, relief and confusion.

"Man, I've got a headache," a familiar voice said as he stood and stretched.

"Mr. B?" Ron was glad to find something familiar in such a strange setting, even if it was Mr. Barkin.

"Stoppable?" the ex-marine yawned. "Haven't you gone home yet?"

"Ah, Mr. B?" Ron's eyes widened as he saw the two monsters standing right behind his teacher. Barkin, realizing that the two were looking behind him, turned to see what the fuss was all about. As he did, he smirked and studied the two monsters.

"You guys at the theater club really do make convincing costumes," Barking said as he looked at the monsters with a critical eye. And suddenly, the bear-like monster punched Barkin in the face and he fell. With an angry growl, Barkin cracked his knuckles and glared at the monsters.

"I will not tolerate insubordination," Barkin said. "Just wait until the committee hears about this. Attacking a school employee is a capital offense. I'll have you guys expelled!" but the monsters just attacked. Barkin grabbed the bear monster and pulled, using its momentum to break its balance, he then tossed it towards its companion with startling results. Both monsters flew away from the force of the throw.

Barkin was confused. He only used a miniscule amount of his strength and it carried both monsters about twenty feet away.

"Mr. B!" Ron said in awe. The woman was also wide-eyed in shock. How can someone be so strong?

"What the?" Mr. Barkin frowned, looking at his hands. "What's happening, Stoppable?"

"Looks to me that you've acquired super strength," Ron said. "And Mr. B, those were not from our school." Suddenly, the three of them found themselves surrounded. Various monsters with sharp teeth and claws wait, sizing their foes.

"Bullies huh?" Barkin smiled. "Well, it's time for some discipline!" Ron and the woman watched in awe as Barkin attacked the monsters head on. Ron could only describe it as intense. Bodies were thrown around and the ground shook from their impacts. Ron instinctively held the woman's head to his chest to protect her of the violent sight. He had seen his teacher do things that he would not have normally seen. It was like Mr. Barkin was beyond himself with rage. Within moments, all of the monsters were down. But Mr. Barkin was still in 'combat mode'.

He looked at his surroundings, ready for anything else that could attack them. Ron sighed and knew he had to do something to calm down. He only hoped that it would work.

"Sergeant! Stand down!" Ron bellowed in a militaristic manner. The action was instantaneous. Mr. Barkin stood in attention and saluted. Ron smiled, thanking his teacher's training. "At ease," and when Barkin stood at ease, only then did his mind relaxed.

Looking around him, he found the monsters lying around. He had a suspicion on what had happened. and looking at his student, still covering the woman's head against his chest, he smiled sadly.

"Sorry about that," Barkin said sheepishly. Ron nodded and walked away, bringing the woman with him. When they were away from the battleground, only then did Ron let the woman go.

"Ah, hi?" Ron smiled shyly. Not knowing where to begin, he only looked at her who was looking relieved.

"Thank you, kind sirs for rescuing me," she said as she found a large rock and sat on it.

"Pardon me, but what where those things?" Ron pointed back into the woods as Barkin approached his side.

"And where are we?" he asked. "This isn't Middleton." The woman smiled and was about to talk when they heard a commotion not far from where they were.

"Princess!" someone shouted bringing a smile to the woman's face. Ron and Mr. Barkin moved to protect her though Ron thought he could do little to protect anyone.

"They're friends," the woman said making her saviors relax. As soon as she said that, a squad of armed men came into view and being led by a man Barkin felt that he shouldn't cross. Though his manner of clothing resembled an Arabian guard of old tales, he had the presence of a leader of men. The man's brown hair was covered in some kind of head wear that resembled a turban. His hazel eyes looked at the two, as if he was measuring them up beneath the vest that he wore, Ron could see the well toned body of someone built for fighting.

"Princess!" the man called out as he nodded to the men and surrounded them.

"James," the woman smiled. "I'm safe. These kind men saved me." at her words, the guards lowered their weapons.

"I am grateful for your help," the man named James bowed. "From what Kingdom do you hail?"

"Kingdom?" Ron looked at Mr. Barkin who shrugged.

"Don't look at me," he said. "I'm just as clueless as you are."

"We're, kinda… um… lost," Ron smirked, finding the right words.

"They have defeated the Cudbuds that attacked me," the woman said. Ron saw that she was being attended by four women. Who was she? James called her 'Princess'.

"All of them?" James and his men found the fallen Cudbuds. If they defeated them, they must be great warriors.

"Excuse me? Cudbuds?" Barking looked at Ron in confusion. This time, it was his turn to shrug.

"Ah! Where are my manners," James smiled. "Permit me to offer you our hospitality. It's the least we could do for saving our Princess's life."

"What do you think, Stoppable?" Barkin whispered into Ron's ear.

"I don't know, Mr. B. but we need answers and they seemed friendly enough." With a nod, Ron smiled. "We are… um… honored to be your guests." The Princess smiled and stood.

"Splendid. We shall return to Florestica. James? I trust that they would have the best comfort?" James smiled softly and nodded. "Good. I shall see you later." With that, the Princess and the other women, probably her maids-in-waiting, left along with half the guards.

"Pardon me for asking this; but what's your story?" James asked. Ron didn't know where to begin.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Slowly Fukishima awoke. When he did, he noticed two things. First, he noticed that he might not be on Earth anymore and second… Second that his face hurts like hell.

He knew whom he had to curse for this.

"OUTSIDER!" he shouted in rage. Suddenly, a group of monsters approached him. These were no ordinary monsters. It seemed like that someone had used manipulation to combine two animals into one. It was weird but Fukishima felt that he would not be harmed.

One of the monsters growled.

"Who am I?" Fukishima scoffed. "I am the great Fukishima! And you shall all be my subjects." The monster bowed at him, understanding his every word. At the sight of the monsters bowing to him, Fukishima laughed maniacally.

"Soon, Outsider. I'll have your head."

>>>>>>>>>>>

"Amazing," James whispered as Ron finished his story. Ron couldn't believe what they were riding. It was the most elegant boat he had ever seen. The sail was at full and the helmsman was in control. What unnerved him that the boat didn't ride the waves, it floated on air. "That woman you talked about must have control over dimentional portals. That may explain how you two got here. But how in the world could she manipulate time and space?"

"You don't seemed surprised that someone could do that," Ron noticed. He also noticed that the man had an understanding of science.

"Here at El-Hazard, everything can happen," James said.

"El-Hazard?" Barkin took out a cigarette from his pack and lit it, smoking a big puff. Annoyed, Ron took his teacher's cigarette and crushed it with his toe. "Hey!"

"It's impolite," Ron said defiantly making the large man sigh. James laughed and shook his head.

"El-Hazard is a world of wonder, my friends. Filled with magic, mystery and adventure."

"And dangers," Ron smirked. "What were those things. It looked like they came from a sci-fi B movie."

"I do not know this sci-fi B movie that you talk about but what you meant was the Cudbuds that you had faced," James took a jug from a servant and poured its contents in glasses. "Wine?"

"Don't mind if I do," Barkin said taking Ron's glass away from him. "He's underage." Ron grumbled but another servant gave him a glass of juice. Smiling at the servant in thanks, he then focused his attention to James.

"What are Cudbuds?" Ron asked.

"Genetically altered beasts," James grimaced. "Thousands of years ago when the kingdoms were at war, one of the kingdoms had opted for genetic alterations. Ironically, they were supposed to be cute pets."

"Pets?" Ron said, surprised. Those things that attacked them were not pets.

"It was years before the war. The idea came from a line of cotton stuffed toys called _Cuddle Buddies_," James said. "But some scientist thought that they could be great for warfare so she altered some beasts to mirror the toys."

"Dude, that's just sick and wrong," Ron shivered.

"Desperate times," James sighed as he refilled Barkin's glass. "From time and again they attacked the citizens of El-Hazard. But it is in the past year that they had become more violent."

"Man, you have your work cut out for you," Barkin said as he gulped the wine.

"I know," James shook his head.

"Um, Sir James? Who's the Princess?" Ron asked. He noticed that the man smiled softly at the mention of the Princess but he hid it the next moment.

"Her name is Princess Rune Anne Venus, Ruler of El-Hazard," For some reason, Ron sensed something in his voice that betrayed the man's emotions. There was something about him and the Princess. Ron smiled and kept it to himself.

"Do you know anyone who could help us?" Ron asked.

"Maybe Loadabaugh could help," James said after a moment. "He's a scholar and genius. Well versed in applied science."

"Relax, Stoppable. We'll get home." Barkin said. Ron sighed. He knew that his teacher was right. But he couldn't get his mind out of the woman who sent her to this mysterious place.

"Gentlemen!" Jame said as he stood looking forward. Ron and Barkin's eyes widen to behold a spectacular sight. A palace that glittered in the sun, covered with life. The sun reflected from the various fountains made the palace brighter that it was.

"Welcome to Florestica."


End file.
